Director, Medical Science Liaisons

ExecuSearch of Chicago

$150K — $180K *
US-AnywhereRemote in United States
Pharmaceuticals & Biotech
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Advanced clinical or scientific degree (PharmD, PhD, MD, NP, PA, RN, or equivalent)
  • Prior MSL experience with success in field-based Medical Affairs
  • Demonstrated people leadership with coaching and accountability skills
  • Experience in neurology or CNS disorders, with preferred background in movement disorders
  • Pre-launch and/or launch Medical Affairs experience is strongly preferred
  • Strong strategic judgment and insight generation abilities
  • Capacity to build trusted relationships with medical professionals.

Responsibilities

  • Lead and develop a high-performing MSL team through hands-on coaching and clear expectations
  • Maintain direct scientific relationships with key stakeholders in neurology
  • Translate Medical Affairs strategy into field execution, focusing on stakeholder and resource planning
  • Drive scientific exchange on essential tremor and treatment paradigms
  • Transform field intelligence into actionable insights for medical strategy
  • Collaborate across functions while respecting compliance standards
  • Build a compliant and effective field organization with strong training and performance management processes.

Benefits

  • Comprehensive health and wellness programs
  • Professional development opportunities
  • Support for continuing education
  • Flexible work arrangements
  • Travel opportunities for field engagement.
Full Job Description
Overview

Our client is seeking a Director, Field Medical – Movement Disorders to lead a team of Medical Science Liaisons (MSLs) supporting Medical Affairs activities for ulixacaltimide in essential tremor. This is a hands-on, field-facing leadership role for someone who can build and develop a high-performing MSL team while remaining directly engaged with priority scientific and clinical stakeholders. This role will report directly to the Head of Field Medical Affairs.

 

Reporting to the Head of Field Medical Affairs, the Director will translate Medical Affairs strategy into focused field execution, strengthen scientific engagement, and ensure high-quality field insights inform medical and cross-functional decisions. This role will partner closely with Medical Affairs, Clinical Development, Commercial, and Market Access while maintaining appropriate Medical Affairs independence and compliance standards.

Responsibilities
  • Lead and develop a high-performing MSL team, setting clear expectations for scientific excellence, stakeholder engagement, insight generation, accountability, and results. Provide hands-on coaching through regular field visits, joint engagements, feedback, and individualized development.
  • Operate as a player-coach, maintaining direct, trusted scientific relationships with priority academic and community neurologists, movement disorder specialists, investigators, advanced practice providers, and other relevant stakeholders.
  • Translate Medical Affairs strategy into focused field execution, including regional stakeholder planning, strategic account planning, resource deployment, and pre-launch, potential launch, and post-launch priorities for essential tremor.
  • Drive high-quality scientific exchange and external engagement around essential tremor, emerging clinical data, treatment paradigms, and the evolving therapeutic landscape, including support for advisory boards, congresses, and scientific meetings.
  • Turn field intelligence into action by identifying and synthesizing emerging scientific questions, unmet needs, changes in clinical practice, patient-care barriers, and other insights that can shape Medical Affairs and broader cross-functional strategy.
  • Partner effectively across the organization, including with Medical Affairs, Clinical Development, Commercial, and Market Access. Provide scientific and clinical context on disease burden, patient journeys, treatment pathways, evidence needs, and access considerations while maintaining appropriate functional boundaries.
  • Build an effective, accountable, and compliant field organization by supporting recruitment, onboarding, training, performance management, field effectiveness, launch readiness, resource planning, and adherence to regulatory requirements, industry standards, company policies, and SOPs.
Qualifications
  • Advanced clinical or scientific degree (PharmD, PhD, MD, NP, PA, RN, or equivalent).
  • Prior MSL experience with demonstrated success in field-based Medical Affairs.
  • Demonstrated people leadership, including the ability to coach, develop, and hold a field-based team accountable while maintaining strong scientific credibility.
  • Experience in neurology or CNS disorders required; movement disorders experience, including essential tremor or Parkinson’s disease, preferred.
  • Pre-launch and/or launch Medical Affairs experience strongly preferred.
  • Ability to rapidly build deep therapeutic expertise, translate complex scientific and clinical information into field strategy, and engage credibly with external experts.
  • Strong strategic judgment, account planning, insight generation, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
  • Experience partnering with Market Access and understanding payer and access considerations preferred.
  • High ownership and comfort operating with autonomy and ambiguity in a fast-moving environment; able to prioritize what matters and drive execution.
  • Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships with healthcare professionals, investigators, and external scientific experts.
  • Willingness and ability to travel extensively based on business needs.

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